At a recent seminar on technical writing in the digital era we had the opportunity to talk with industry expert, Tim Entwisle.
Entwisle is the director of a copywriting and tender consultancy firm, Madrigal Communications. He has over a decades of experience in communications for government and corporate organisations and specialises in tender writing. His client base range from infrastructure and construction businesses to corporate firms and a variety of SME’s.
Entwisle finds that tender writing is often an overlooked part of business operations, however it plays a vital role in winning work and maintaining revenue streams. He outlined a number of ways a tender can fail to win a contract.
“Tender writing is complex and takes a significant amount of labour. I’ve observed many businesses rush through their document without properly understanding the buyer’s needs. It’s important to leave yourself time to understand the contracts requirements.”
Many of his clients lost work in the past to a non-compliant tender, “You cannot pick and choose the questions you can answer. Incomplete tender proposals will fail for non-compliance. Make sure you answer all the questions completely.”
He adds, “It is important to include all relevant details of your business, but you must also be careful of flooding the document with unnecessary information. Keep it succinct and to the point.”
The final stage is a meticulous review process.
“It’s crucial to go over the document multiple times to ensure it is free from any grammar and spelling errors or non-compliance issues. Use a number of eyes before submitting the document. If you need a professional opinion, Madrigal Communications provide tender writing and reviewing services.”